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Fulbright Lunch & Learn seminar series begins Jan. 29

Jan 23, 2014 - 10:54am

The spring 2014 Fulbright Lunch & Learn seminar series kicks off Wednesday, Jan. 29. Bring your lunch, and learn from alumni and current grantees about their Fulbright experiences. Presentations will last 20-30 minutes, allowing time for discussion and socializing. All meetings will be held in University Capitol Centre Room 1117. Download the full series poster

A Virtual Tour With SANTOS, the Virtual Soldier

Date: Wednesday, January 29, 12:30-1:20 p.m.

Presented by: Karim Abdel-Malek, Professor of Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering, Founder and Director of the Virtual Soldier Research Program

The 35-member Virtual Soldier Research team has developed a digital human model—SANTOS—that is so realistic and intelligent that it allows the military and private sector to do research on human performance, then design and test equipment before going to the expense of manufacturing it. The program has received national and international recognition for advancing research in the area of human modeling and simulation. Join us for a virtual tour of SANTOS in a military environment.

Dance in Ghana—The Essence of a People

Professor Melrose received a Fulbright grant to share a modern dance perspective with the National Dance Company of Ghana in order to expand the company's choreographic options for international stages and audiences. While there, she had the opportunity to observe Ghanian dances in their villages of origin and to understand how integral dance and music are to the fabric of daily living—how, in fact, they create and sustain community. This experience made her realize that the essential power of dance/music as expressed in traditional settings can never be fully conveyed in performance venues devoid of cultural context. Her presentation will explore this dichotomy and include video clips of Ghanian dance.

Letters from Catalunya

Date: Friday, April 11, 12:30-1:20 p.m.

Presented by: Phillip Round, Professor of English

While teaching American ethnic literatures in Barcelona as a Fulbright scholar, Professor Round expected it to be the perfect place for discussions of American literature and culture. After all, Barcelona was the first place Columbus reported on his expedition to the King and Queen of Spain. What Round discovered, however, was that there are many Spains, and the Catalan nationalist outpouring that was reaching a fever pitch when he arrived created a unique opportunity to explore issues related to bilingualism and American Indian language revitalization--but led to some dangers as well. The title of his talk alludes to George Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia," and like Orwell's narrative of the Spanish Civil War, "Letters from Catalunya" will explore a few harrowing moments in his Fulbright year that underscore the surprisingly fiery/fervent nature of cross-cultural teaching.

This series is co-sponsored by the Iowa Chapter of the Fulbright Association and University of Iowa International Programs. For more information, contact Sonia Gunderson, sonia-gunderson@uiowa.edu.